Megalithic Fortress Santha (Region of Samtskhe-Javakheti )
Megalithic Fortress Santha (Georg. სანთას მეგალითური ციხე) – located above the village of the same name, on the southern slope of the Trialeti Range, at an altitude of 1580 m above sea level. The ruins of the Cyclopean fortress date back to the Bronze Age (beginning of the 1st millennium BC). There is also a church of the XI-XII centuries with lapidary inscriptions. The Cyclopean structure consisted of two parts – the upper and lower castles. The settlement of the upper fortress, built on the top of a high ridge, for some time was completely surrounded by a defensive wall.
The lower fortress Santha, built to the south of the upper castle, on a kind of natural terrace in the middle of the ridge, the southern part of which is a rocky hill. From the south, the complex is protected in a natural way, by a steep slope, on the other sides with towers. Between the western and central towers there was an entrance to the fortress, and a staircase rose to the wall between the towers. Fortified and unfortified settlements, in general, occupied several tens of hectares. By the order of the President of Georgia dated November 7, 2006, the Santa Fortress was included in the list of historical and cultural monuments of national importance in Georgia.
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